For Your Family: Child Sexual Abuse

In this "For Your Family," ABC7 covers a very serious and important topic: the warning signs of one of the most under-reported crimes in the country, sexual abuse. The victims are children who suffer in silence.

April is child abuse prevention month, and there is a public campaign happening next week called "Voices for 3000" in Chicago, asking local residents to be the voice.

Some numbers compiled from various national studies:

-60 percent of child sexual abuse cases go unreported. - 90 percent of sexually abused children know their abusers. - 25 percent of adults who at some point suspected a child was being abused never spoke up.

We saw this with the high-profile Penn State University case, which is still going through the courts.

Part of the public campaign is to get everyone paying attention to warning signs. It could be a neighbor, it could be your own child, or your child's friend. What are the warning signs that people should pay attention to?

Rivette says:

- unusual relaltionship with another adult - sudden behavior changes in the child - sudden fear of being around a particular person - sudden change in not wanting to go to school, participate in physical activities - fear of showering - signs of anxiety like bedwetting

On the other hand, we don't want people to jump to a quick conclusion. If you suspect something might be wrong, you want to keep the communication line open with that child and let them know somebody cares.